Webinar Rewind: Connect Easier to Microsoft Teams With The New Teams Connector

On Tuesday, we hosted a highly anticipated and requested webinar on the new SkySwitch Teams Connector.  The Skyswitch Team wanted to make sure that all of our resellers fully understand the value and application of the SkySwitch Teams Connector integration. So SkySwitch’s Andy Abramson, Corey Stoker, VP of Support at SkySwitch, and Micah Singer, Managing Director of TeamMate Technology, all came together to take us through the intricacies of Teams Connector.

If you missed the live session, you can watch the full webinar recording, retrieve the slide deck and read up on the webinar’s highlights below.

EMAIL US TO RECEIVE A COPY OF THE SLIDE DECK

What Exactly is the Teams Connector?

The SkySwitch engineering and development team has been diligently working behind the scenes to ensure our resellers have access to the best of all the telecom solutions available. As a result of this hard work, we recently announced that SkySwitch has made connecting with Microsoft Teams fast and easy to deploy with the new SkySwitch Teams Connector. 

SkySwitch Teams Connector allows integration between Microsoft Teams and our phone system (PBX). The Teams Connector essentially changes the standard Teams application to work as a PBX softphone for desktop, laptop and mobile devices. With our Teams Connector, your customers are now able to do the following:

• Place and receive PBX calls using Microsoft Teams App (Desktop, mobile, browser) that are placed or received over your SkySwitch powered telecom network 
• Utilize many of the PBX feature codes within Microsoft Teams.
• Receive PBX notifications within Microsoft Teams.
• View your PBX Portal within Microsoft Teams (using Single Sign-On).
• Build Direct Routing.
• Register Teams Users on an existing PBX.
• Create a Teams Application for your PBX (Optional).

How TeamMate Works

The TeamMate architecture is ultimately composed of three components: the media path, registration subscription and provisioning. 

The Teams native integration supports Microsoft Direct Routing, deploying and managing a Microsoft compliant SBC, connecting SIP Trunks, and allows resellers to manage users in the Teams Admin portal and via PowerShell scripting.

With Teams Connector, this integration becomes easy to provision, manage & resell. The integration continues to support Microsoft Direct Routing, the native teams dialing for PSTN calls from a SIP PBX or a SIP Trunk, and works as a Microsoft Teams Softphone & PBX application all in one.

Who is This App For?

The Teams Connector requires each TeamMate/Microsoft Teams user to have the correct Microsoft User License and a Phone System License to function, making this app for MSPs familiar with Microsoft and are already reselling Microsoft products like Microsoft Office 365. If you are familiar with the Microsoft Admin Council, there is a good chance you will have to do some walk-throughs with your end-users.

The Global Admin Dilemma

One thing that is different about Teams is that we have to get permissions to write in the PowerShell API. This means that we have to get the Global Admin involved. So, if you are the reseller or MSP that is provisioning Microsoft, you can add yourself as the Global Admin for the day, making it easy. But, if you are working with a company that is not your customer, then you have to be the person to walk them through setting up the application.

Benefits of Selling Teams with PBX Integration

There are many benefits to reselling Teams Connector. But, the main benefit is the ability to tap into different markets like: 

• SMB’s that are already utilizing Teams with calling, but want more features.
• Small Businesses starting to integrate Teams.
• Your current customers who are starting to use Teams as a collaboration tool.

Risks of Introducing Teams Calling with PBX Integration

With every new integration comes potential risks. One risk that comes along with introducing Teams Connector is having to add on a Microsoft License on top of the Microsoft 365 licensing, which is approximately eight dollars. Along with this, you are also competing with Microsoft’s already established $15-20 calling plans. 

Also, introducing Teams to a company that is not already using it can potentially shrink your margins in comparison to the desk phone solution.

Documentation and Setup

To ensure our resellers have all the information they need for the Teams Connector integration, we have set up a Teams Connector Reseller Resource Guide and a FAQ section in the SkySwitch Knowledge base.

SkySwitch Support

When it comes to SkySwitch Support, we will support the application setup and our PBX integration. Neither SkySwitch nor TeamMate will support your Microsoft Tenant or your end customer. With enough detail, we can point you towards the problem (like an API permissions issue), but it will be up to you to understand where to correct the Microsoft Portal issue. 

Most of these possible issues have TeamMate articles guiding you towards a fix, but as Microsoft’s constantly changing and your clients may have different setups, there are potential unforeseen challenges.

For more information about the new Teams Connector integration or pricing, please contact support@skyswitch.com.